Ruijia Wang, Kallen

The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Exchange to The University of Melbourne, Australia

Happy times always fly by quickly and my one semester of exchange life has come to an end.

I believe that everyone that applies for an exchange programme has some purpose in common. For me, it represented a treasured opportunity to live and study with students from all over the world. Learning how to make friends with all kinds of people, with a diversity of religion and culture, is so important in the increasingly global community. Co-operation and communication skills, leadership and the ability to work with other team members are becoming essential in modern life, especially in the business world. The exposure to an English-speaking environment everyday surely helped the development of both oral and written English. What’s more, by going to another country, I was exposed to a diverse culture that broadened my vision, enhanced my perspective and gave me a better idea about the world. The unique experience of exchange gave me an enjoyable opportunity to travel around and hang out with friends, making the worldwide friendship connection no longer a dream.

I am glad that I got the chance to be an outgoing exchange student to the University of Melbourne in Australia. The University of Melbourne dates back 150 years and was important in shaping the social, cultural and scientific development of Melbourne and Australia. What impressed me the most was the charming characteristic of the mixed culture and friendly community, as well as the superior quality of academic teaching. Located within walking distance to the city centre, everyday was amazing and wonderful. I loved to have meals outdoors, sitting on the lawns with a cup of coffee, or just watching people pass by at a streetside cafe. In the one of the most livable cities in the world, the pace is slow enough to let people enjoy everything that comes along.

One exchange student from Canada told me that he loved the weather in Melbourne, because it was warm compared to his own country. I did not tell him that I did not like the weather at all! You could wear a top at noon, however by the time you finish the day and are going back home, you really need to wear a coat. You cannot judge what you should wear by merely looking at the sunshine outside the window. If you are in the shade or the wind, you will shiver from the cold. The temperature changes so much that you must prepare different clothes at the same time. In Melbourne, it is said that you can experience four seasons in one day. I could not agree more!

Campus life at Melbourne University is really colourful. All kinds of student societies hold a variety of functions. From my point of view, I loved the live shows on Tuesday nights best. I enjoyed the live rock-and-roll show in the north court of the Student Union performed by a fantastic band, with free BBQ and pancakes. You could choose to join a variety of student clubs or gym programmes. The International Centre also held events especially for incoming exchange students, providing an opportunity to meet other international students.

The orientation period is the time that aims to help all students adjust to the new university environment. To be honest, I found it sometimes boring just going from one session to another. But I did learn a lot, particularly in one session called “Aussie slang”. I now know if something is really Aussie, such as “G’day” “VB” and “no worries”. It was also a good time to make new friends from all over the world.

Since Australia also follows the British Commonwealth systems, the academic study is similar to the University of Hong Kong. All subjects have lectures and tutorials which I was already familiar with at the University of Hong Kong. But when it came to discussions or assignments based on tutorial groups, I had some difficulty in keeping up with the English because it was so fast that I could not catch what was being talked about. Fortunately, all my group mates were kind enough to explain things to me. I am also glad that I could point out my views and feel a sincere interaction between us. We all co-operated well during the whole course.

From the moment I arrived in Melbourne, I had to take responsibility for myself, including looking for an apartment and preparing all the daily trivial stuff. However, it did not mean a lonely life, because I was astonished to realize that it is so good to make new friends! I never knew that you could get along so well with someone you just happened to talk to. Another thing is, I felt that time management is so important when it comes to living in a high-speed world. To keep the best balance between study and play, travel and assignment deadlines, it is necessary to keep academic studies on the right track.

Without doubt, traveling around is the most fun part of exchange life. I could not have enjoyed the chances to go around the suburbs, the city, the countryside and the state more.

During the semester break, I went to a 9-day trip with other two exchange students, Joan and Lana from the US. We met each other at a party organized by a student society especially for incoming exchange students. Once we formed the idea to travel, we started all the planning beforehand. Lots of things had to be taken into consideration, such as the route, traveling passes, hostels, and places to visit. Our good planning worked well! With our limited budget, we went to Brisbane and Sydney and visited most of the attractions we thought were worthwhile. We stayed at Moreton Bay, which is an island in Brisbane that is quiet and cute. We lived in an eight-bed dormitory with other travelers from around the world, and went sailing and bushwalking. The visit to Lonepine koala sanctuary was most impressive - I saw plenty of Aussie animals such as the dingo, wamback, cassowary, and bilby. It provided the chance to see koalas at a very close distance. They are so lovely, although it was quite smelly really. In Sydney, we enjoyed an opera performance at the famous Opera House, another bushwalk on Blue Mountain, which was so different from the famous mountains in China. We visited the newly-opened Wildlifeworld and Aquarium, which really opened my mind because I had never seen such a wide range of unfamiliar animals ever before!

We took other day trips, like the one to the Great Ocean Road, which is famous for the rocks of 12 apostles, but actually only six or seven of them are left. On the trip to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, a well-preserved town that has remains of all the sites from the gold rush in the 19th century, we could go gold-panning ourselves. The underground adventure to experience the gold mine tour was very cool, and I learnt a lot – even though I may never have the chance to use it.

The free city tours took less money and time, which I also enjoyed. Just visit the official tour guild online to find information, then just take the tram or train with a map, and move around! Melbourne’s attractions, including the fantastic gardens, the state library of Victoria, the shrine of remembrance, and the galleries are all open to public. Most important, they are really great!!!

Thanks to the mentor programme at the University of Hong Kong, Sum (a girl also on exchange to the University of Melbourne) and I met our mentor, Lousia, who was also the president of the University of Hong Kong alumni association, during a one-night stay I will never forget. During the annual general meeting of the University of Hong Kong alumni associations, I experienced a different perception from our older and successful alumni, their careers, their love of their home university, and their sincere and enthusiasm in helping young people’s studies and future planning. Talking to them was quite helpful and a pleasure for me. When they talked about themselves, about how they liked their jobs and how they pursued their careers, I was really inspired. I could not help motivating myself for my further career. To be honest, I was a girl who was not used to looking beneath the surface to gain insight, but that night really made me to think deeper and further. That mode of thinking is what I lacked and needed to learn and will now always have in my mind. It was time to stop drifting along.

However, exchange life was not always smooth. I encountered some setbacks. When I first arrived in Melbourne and looked for an apartment myself, this was the period I missed my family and friends the most. To overcome this kind of homesickness and adjust myself more quickly to a new environment, the best way was to meet more people and make new connections in order to adjust, both physically and mentally, and enable the best conditions for making work and study easier.

Also, I found that academic theory without any working experience in the study of finance was a big problem. I learnt this lesson when I tried to transfer my remaining Australian dollars to my account at home. I asked the bank staff to issue a bank draft for me. However after the transaction finished, I was filled with regret because I did not have a clear idea of the banking operation. To make it worse, I did not even look at the exchange rate, so I had no idea whether the exchange rate met my expectation. Other questions like whether there was any better alternative to making the transaction hit me as well. It was then I realized that I lacked so much knowledge. This incident really stimulated me in many aspects. I am very eager to become a trainee of a customer banking division and get an internship placement. I need to learn more, from reading financial news, and understand the different banking terminology.

In conclusion, both the failures and achievements in my exchange experience taught me a lot. From this kind of experience, I know where my strengths lie, what personal traits I need to improve, what I should look for in future studies, and what things to think more in my further career.

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